MALTA: Ricotta Pie (Torta ta L-Irkotta) and Kapunata

This might be my new go-to meal for brunches, picnics, potlucks, or meal trains. It's versatile (brunch? dinner? room temperature? cold? they all work) portable, and delicious! While I included diced ham, it can be omitted to make this vegetarian. This was my first venture into frozen GF puff pastry; I used Schär. I barely noticed the difference from the non-GF brands I used to get in the freezer section.

The kapunata is similar to a ratatouille, but with a slightly sweet-and-salty glow up, due to the addition of honey, capers, and olives. The heightened umami means kapunata is forgiving if one's vegetables are not in peak season.

I want to visit Malta!

Ricotta Pie (Torta ta L-Irkotta)

2 sheets frozen puff pastry (I used Schärr's GF version)

1 lb whole-milk ricotta

3 large eggs

1 cup cooked peas, fava beans, or a mix of the two

1 cup diced ham, from a ham steak (optional)

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*

½ lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

*If you do not want to buy a block of whole Parmesan and grate it yourself, opt for shaved, not grated cheese.

1. Thaw pastry according to directions on its box.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a sieve large enough to hold the ricotta over a bowl, and place ricotta in it to drain.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix two eggs, peas and/or fava beans, Parmesan cheese, ham if using, and drained ricotta. Mix well. Zest the ½ lemon into the mixture and add the chopped mint. Stir until combined.

4. Line a tart pan with a removable bottom or a pie dish with a sheet of parchment paper.

5. Lay another sheet of parchment on a flat surface, and unroll one sheet of puff pasty onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll it until a few inches larger than the tart/pie dish. Use the paper underneath the dough to flip it into the prepared tart/pie dish and press into the edge. Fill dough with ricotta filling. Repeat the rolling procedure with the second piece of pastry dough and place on top of the filling.

6. Using kitchen sheers, trim both pieces of dough to be about 1 inch larger than the edge of the tart/pie dish. Squeeze the top and bottom of dough together, fold outwards, and tuck into the tart/pie dish. Crimp with your thumb and finger.

7. Using a sharp knife, cut a few slits from the center of the pie outward, to allow steam to release while baking. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush over top of pie.

8. Bake 45-50 minutes, until golden. Eat hot, room temperature, or chilled.

Kapunata

1 large eggplant

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 small red onion

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 medium red bell pepper

1 medium zucchini

3 plum or Roma tomatoes

1 teaspoon honey 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons whole small capers, removed from brine

1/3 cup chopped pitted olives in oil, black or green is fine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in pan on medium heat. Chop eggplant into 1/2-inch peices and add to heated oil. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. If eggplant starts to stick to pan, add a few splashes of water to the pan. While eggplant it cooking, chop the onion into small dice and dice the bell pepper and zucchini into ½-inch pieces.

2. Transfer eggplant to a small dish, add remaining the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the onion. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, again splashing with water if it starts to stick. While the onion is cooking, cut the top end off the tomatos and use a vegtable peeler to remove the skin from the remainer. Chop into 1-inch pieces.

3. When onion start to turn translucent, about 3-5 minutes, add the tomato paste. Stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes to the pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix well and let cook for about 10 minutes.

4. Once most of the tomatoes have cooked down, add the cooked cooked eggplant, honey, vinegar, olives, and capers. Mix well together and let cook for until all vegetables are soft and the flavors are melded, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

5. Stir in the mint and basil, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot, room temperature, or chilled as a side dish or spread onto toasted crusty bread.

#glutenfree #gf @schaerglutenfree #ricotta #cheesepie#picnicfood #potluck #kapunata #malta

FUN FACTS:

• There are no forests, mountains or rivers in Malta. Distilled ocean water used to be the nation's source of drinking water, but now they rely on reverse osmosis.

• A whole village was specifically built in Malta for the musical production, ‘Popeye’.

• Malta's capital, Valletta, was the first ever planned city in Europe. The city was sketched out back in 1565.